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Jacksonville WR Matt Jones faces felony drug charges

Thank heavens that Jacksonville reached for this kid in the first round, allowing Heath Miller to fall into our laps.

[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3481361[/url]

Jones faces felony drug charge, suspected of cocaine possession

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones faces a felony drug charge in his former college town after police say officers found him cutting up cocaine with a credit card Thursday morning.

The 25-year-old Jones and two other men were inside a Toyota SUV in Fayetteville just after 12:40 a.m. Thursday when officers approached. Officers saw a card covered in a white powder in Jones' lap as he used a credit card to scrape it, a police report said.

Officers opened the door and ordered Jones to put his hands in the air. According to the report, Jones kept his left hand out of view, forcing at least one officer to draw his handgun.

Jones, 25-year-old Jared Hicks and 26-year-old Benjamin Cook were arrested. Officers say they searched the vehicle and found a plastic bag filled with a white substance that tested positive for cocaine and a jar with possible marijuana residue.

Officers questioned Jones and he acknowledged the white powder was cocaine, the report said.

Hicks and Cook were arrested on misdemeanor drug charges. Jones was being held Thursday at the Washington County jail on a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance, and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

The team was waiting to learn details of the case before commenting.

"We're trying to investigate that now," Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver said of Jones' arrest. "We don't have all the facts. We will comment on that once we have all the facts."

Officers say Hicks had a small plastic straw coated with suspected cocaine behind his ear. Both Cook and Hicks face misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. Neither was in jail Thursday morning, officials said.

Jones was a star quarterback at Arkansas, throwing for 5,857 yards and running for 2,535. He was a first-round draft pick in 2005, but failed to develop into the go-to receiver Jacksonville thought he could be.

Jones caught 77 passes for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two pro seasons, but struggled in 2007. Coach Jack Del Rio became increasingly frustrated with Jones' demeanor and work ethic last season, making him inactive for three games.

In the offseason, the Jaguars signed free agent Jerry Porter and traded for former first-round pick Troy Williamson.